This invention relates to an expandable syringe, and is more particularly concerned with a syringe for providing vaginal douches, enemas and the like.
Vaginal douche devices, and particularly vaginal syringes are well known in the art and in commerce. One general form of syringe includes a substantially flat bag which may be expanded by filling with water or other appropriate liquid. After the liquid has been placed in the bag, a nozzle is inserted into the filling spout of the bag so that the apparatus may be used as a syringe. The expanded bag may be depressed to assist in urging the liquid from the bag, and through the nozzle. One particular syringe of this general description is known as the "Shy" douche device.
While syringes of the above described general type have been used for some considerable length of time and have achieved some commercial success, there are several problems inherent in the design of this type of prior art syringes. Generally, once the nozzle is inserted into the syringe, there is no means for controlling the flow of liquid from the syringe and through the nozzle. When there is pressure because of the introduction of a quantity of liquid under pressure into the syringe, it is possible to inadvertently dispense the liquid upon insertion of the nozzle into the syringe. Also, since the filling spout includes a valve which is openable by either water pressure or the insertion of a nozzle, it is virtually impossible to empty the syringe after usage thereof, and it is equally difficult to rinse any chemicals out of the syringe before the syringe is stored. In addition, the pattern of liquid spray emitted from the nozzle has not been sufficiently controlled nor has the rate of liquid emission been of sufficient magnitude. The prior art syringes have also been of too complex and expensive construction. The syringe nozzles have often been difficult to mount and dismount from the syringe bag. Furthermore, their associated storage facilities for the chemical agents used in the syringes have often been cumbersome to operate in obtaining an individual use portion and of excessively costly construction.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved expandable syringe.
More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide an expandable syringe with a detachable nozzle from which a directionally controlled liquid spray may be emitted at relatively high rates.
Another object of the invention is to provide an expandable syringe with a convertible valve to which a nozzle for expelling liquid out of, and a faucet spout for introducing liquid into, a syringe bag may be interchangeably coupled.
Another object of the invention is to provide an expandable syringe having an elastic bag with a bag section predesignated to be punctured and thereby opened by and upon the mounting of a syringe nozzle to the bag.
Another object of the invention is to provide expandable syringes of the types just described of relatively simple, dependable and economical construction.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide structurally economic and simple means for storing and for readily obtaining manual access to a set of individually proportioned and encapsulated chemical agents for successive use with expandable syringes of the types described.